We’ve seen more extreme rainfall and flooding across North America, and we know climate change is making the air warmer and wetter. But is there really evidence that the two are linked? Yes, there is, a new study from Environment and Climate Change Canada finds.
Warmer temperatures due to climate change lead to wetter air, and we’ve seen more extreme rainfall and flooding across North America. But is there really evidence that the two are related?
Yes, there is.
A new study from researchers at Environment and Climate Change Canada found that climate change has made:
- Rainfall more extreme.
- Storms with extreme rainfall more frequent.
“We’re finding that in North America, we have seen an increase in the frequency and severity of heavy rainfall events. And this is largely due to global warming,” said Megan Kirchmeier-Young, a research scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada and lead author of the study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Already, the resulting flooding has destroyed homes and belongings, leading to billions in damage. And the study projects it will get worse.
“And as we continue to see warming, we will continue to see increases in the frequency and severity of extreme rainfall,” Kirchmeier-Young said. “And heavy rainfall is one of the major factors in flash flooding, particularly in urban areas.”
The study looked at the largest downpour of each year at sites across the U.S. and Canada and found the amount of rain for that event increased between 1961 and 2010.
Warmer means more moisture
Then it compared the observations to climate models that take into account the 1 C increase in temperature due to human activity since pre-industrial times.
“Physics tells us that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture,” Kirchmeier-Young said. “That should be reflected as an incre